


Salt

by kittybenzedrine



Series: Timelines [35]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Aging, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Domestic Fluff, F/M, Fluff, Short & Sweet, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-07
Updated: 2018-05-07
Packaged: 2019-05-03 12:01:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 896
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14568600
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kittybenzedrine/pseuds/kittybenzedrine
Summary: A little bit of an aging Leo and Ren.___Sunrises on the beach have never gotten old. The way the sand glitters like gold, low tide washing out the murky blue-green water, oranges, violets, pinks streaked across the sky like the most beautiful of paintings._____All pieces of the Timelines series are standalones and can be read without context.





	Salt

**Author's Note:**

> Written in like two hours between 2 and 4am. No major error checks because my eyes burn and I need to go to sleep. i love u guys pls enjoy

There's a gentle light coming in through the curtains, easy like it's early morning. It's probably early morning. Leo sits up, scrubs at the sleep lingering in his eyes. Glancing over, he sees that Renee is still asleep. A further look to her nightstand where the alarm clock is tells him she'll be asleep for many more hours. She doesn't get up until noon, and it's hardly past 7.

He climbs out of bed, wincing as his knees creak. It's a development the he isn't too fond of, the aching and noisy joints. Ignoring it, he tracks down a pair of pajama pants and tugs them on. Renee mercifully stays asleep while he closes the blinds as far as they'll go, hoping it'll give her a few more extra minutes of sleep before the sun inevitably starts bothering her rest.

It's a little chilly going shirtless, but the cause of his cold is probably the hardwood flooring sapping all of the warmth out of his bare feet. The stairs groan as he makes his way down to the bathroom, and he's bitterly amused when one of his ankles makes the same sound as a squeaky stair. His reflection greets him when the light comes on. Leo ignores it in favor of emptying his bladder.

Washing his hands, he's got to choice but to look. The same dark brown eyes he's always had gaze back. He's got a few wrinkles, mostly around his eyes and mouth, a few at his brow. The long, thick mane of his hair is still mostly pitch colored, but he takes the time to pluck out whatever grays he can see. Patchy black stubble covers his jaw, studded with sparse grays. Even his fucking sideburns have thin silver hairs poking through.

He was always told that his beard would come in more fully the older he got, but he's 51 now and it looks just about the same as it did when he was 17. Just a little more gray in it now. Leo scowls at his reflection, but forgoes shaving. No plans to go anywhere today, so it can be put off another day.

Out in the main room, he draws the curtains on the biggest window. The blinds come up, and he squints at the sudden sunlight blinding him. He adjusts, though, and watched the outside like he does most mornings.

Sunrises on the beach have never gotten old. The way the sand glitters like gold, low tide washing out the murky blue-green water, oranges, violets, pinks streaked across the sky like the most beautiful of paintings. A dull roar is evident when he actually pays attention, the ocean churning just as it always has. Leo contemplates asking Renee if she'd like to go on a weekend trip away, just because he's so used to the smell that he can't detect the scent of salt on the air anymore. He'd like to come home and smell it again.

He's there for barely five minutes before he hears a faint squeak from upstairs. A floorboard, maybe the bed? A few beats pass, and the hinges of the bedroom door protest as it opens and closes. Renee's yawning as she lumbers down the stairs, looks a little out of it from being awake so early. 

The t-shirt she has on is far too big for her, and he can only see the barest edges of her panties peeking out from under the hem. Pity, he'd like to see more. She stops next to him, blinks her bleary green eyes up at him.

She looks tired. The scarring on the left side of her face looks more rough than usual, the sleep lines that her pillow left marking her cheek further. Under her eyes are dark, still swollen with sleep, and the corners crusted faintly which only makes her crows feet more noticable. Drool stains stand out at one side is her mouth. Her breasts hang low in her shirt, and the shirt itself does nothing to flatter her body. Her hair is an absolute mess, wildly curly, sticking up on one side where it dried wrong. There are even the faintest gray strands beginning to shine in the brown.

Leo pulls her in, gentle and easy, and kisses her sweet. She's gorgeous, every inch of her. She's aging beautifully. 44 years of life may not have been entirely kind to her, but the aging process has been.

Renee doesn't say anything, just nudges her way against his side to watch the morning with him. He drapes an arm over her shoulders, tucks her neatly against him and relaxes when her head comes to rest on his chest. She snakes her arm around his waist, uses his hip as a handhold.

He closes his eyes, soaking in the warmth of the sun and the skin pressed to his own. When she moves to get a better grip on him, he can feel the skin warmed metal of her wedding band grazing across. Just that little detail makes his chest feel tight, and he toys with his own out of habit. Twenty years married, next year.

It's gotten to the point that they don't even need to say "I love you" anymore, because it's such a given. But he tells her anyway, and the smile she gives him pulls up one of his own.

**Author's Note:**

> Something nice and sweet because both ChiaraC and Xeraxera are under the impression that the awful creatures called Leo and Ren deserve to be happy. So I let them be happy for once <3
> 
> I'm always very appreciative of your comments and kudos, so don't be shy about leaving either of those!
> 
> I have [my blog](http://iwillpooponthefloor.tumblr.com) on tumblr, if you'd like to check that out.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


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